Luke 1:5-23
Zacharias was a Levitical priest, a Levite from “the division of Abijah”, married to Elizabeth, also a Levite, “of the daughters of Aaron.” Aaron, Moses’ brother, was the great, great grandson of Levi, who was Jacob’s (later named Israel’s) third son. The tribe of Levi had a unique role in Israel’s story. They made sure the Jews could worship as God commanded in the Law.
That little description of Zacharias, “of the division of Abijah” takes us back to 1 Chronicles 24 where king David had organized the Levites into divisions. It’s an incredible glimpse into how the ancient Israelites organized their people so they could do their jobs in an orderly way. It wasn’t chaotic. It was planned, ordered, and directed. In a world that seems crazy, a little order feels kind of beautiful.
As we read on into vs. 8-9 we see Zacharias was chosen by lot, which was some system of casting marked stones or sticks to determine what decision to make. Today I think we would flip a coin. But for the Jew, the lot was how they removed partiality from a decision – the lot is cast into the lap but it’s every decision is from the Lord (Proverbs 16:33). Someone cast lots and the lot fell to Zacharias.
Priests in that time served at the temple about 2 weeks a year. Zacharias and Elizabeth lived somewhere in the hill country of Judah, so he was travelling, in essence, for work. But it wasn’t just any job. Priests were chosen from thousands of fellow Levites to perform one of the many duties at the Temple from trimming lamp wicks, to offering the sacrifice to, in this case, burning incense. The Altar of Incense sat in the Temple, right in front of the veil (Ex. 30:1-6) separating the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was – except in Zacharias’ day the Ark was gone – lost during the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem some 580 years before. But even an empty Holy of Holies was a marvelous place. And Zacharias’ entering the Holy Place was a once in a lifetime opportunity. He had most likely waited his entire life to enter the Holy Place, mere feet from the Veil which separated God’s Holy Presence from the sinful presence of man. Beyond that veil was destruction for anyone but the High Priest, and that only one day a year: The Day of Atonement (Lev. 16).
Imagine how Zacharias felt. He’s dressed in priestly garments. Chosen by lot for a once in a lifetime honor. Connected back 1500 years to his ancestral duty. He approaches the Temple of Herod – one of the wonders of the ancient world – walks through the gathered crowd, past the alter burning sacrifices, climbs the 12 steps, one for each Tribe of Israel, and enters the Holy Place. Literal walls of gold reflect the light of the Lamp Stand – the flickering eternal flame representing God’s Presence. Before him stands the Altar of Incense – a golden table about the size of an end table. The text doesn’t say if he has lit the incense, but I like to think that the moment the fragrant smoke hit his nose, Gabriel appeared and scared the living daylights out of him.
Zacharias was surprised, even shocked, terrified. God was not. He had planned this all along. Zacharias was simply being obedient to the Lord, faithfully carrying out his duty as a priest. He was doing his job. And while he was working, God was working out His great plan to bring the voice crying in the wilderness to life. God wanted someone to come as a forerunner, a herald, to call out to those in deep darkness, “Your light has come!” And Zacharias got to be his dad.
We too have sacred duty. God calls us to love our wives and honor our parents and work for our grumpy bosses like we were working for Jesus Himself. He calls us to love the brokenhearted by just being there in their grief. He calls us to the sacred spaces of changing diapers and mowing lawns and taking kids to softball. He calls us to the holy work of talking to our frustrated spouse late into the night and praying for our neighbors and paying our bills on time. And in the midst of our daily duty, right when the incense hits our nose, sometimes the Lord shows up in ways we never expected. And when He does, don’t miss it. Don’t dismiss it. But cherish it, tell God’s people about it, and walk out of that sacred moment full of wonder at the God who meets us right where we are.
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